Tag: Netflix

More Than Just A Tribute: With Eraserheads Combo on the Run, The Show Must Go On

Eraserheads Combo on the Run gives the Beatles of the Philippines space to tell their own story, tracing their rise, tensions, and lasting influence on Filipino music.

Eraserheads Combo on the Run Official PosterNow playing at select theatres across North America. For venues, please visit www.eraserheadsfilm.com

For a band often called the Beatles of the Philippines, the Eraserheads have cemented a legacy few will forget. Director Maria Diane Ventura’s Eraserheads Combo on the Run offers a rare reckoning, giving the band a chance to set the record straight in their own words. Their message of hope lives in what they deliver best: songs about love, friendship, and student life.

This tribute follows Ely Buendia, Raymund Marasigan, Marcus Adoro, and Buddy Zabala from their origins as university kids at UP Diliman in 1989 to their rise as the defining voice of a Filipino generation. Also included is their parting of ways and an examination of what led to their 2022 Ang Huling El Bimbo reunion concert. According to this work, a quarter of a million people attended!

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The Essential Ninjago Dragons Rising Season Three Recap Before Diving Into Season 4

Season three of Ninjago Dragons Rising left behind a maze of fractured alliances, missing memories, dragons, and multiverse-level consequences. This recap breaks down the major turns involving Ras, Arin, Thunderfang, Sensei Wu, and the growing mystery behind the Administration before season four arrives.

Ninjago Dragons Rising Season 4 Final SeasonNow Streaming on Netflix

If you’ve been keeping up with Ninjago Dragons Rising, there was a lot to take in during season three. That’s because there were many story arcs going on. With twenty episodes, two big narrative arcs, a dragon apocalypse, and several reveals, an evidence board is required to make sense of how it all relates. I even got lost on occasion and had to rewatch and look up episode summaries just to remind myself where the ninjas have gone, who is back, and why Ras matters.

And with the help of online forums and other applications, I offer this guide before the next season debuts. It’s required reading. But for those looking for the quick two-sentence version of what matters most: Ras has the soul of Sensei Wu, and the Source Dragons say that things are much more fractured than they already are. With one of their kind gone, and their agreement with the First Ninjago Master broken, even they are at a slight loss.

As for a recap, what I offer is the following:

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Cosmic Princess Kaguya: Far Too Genki For My Tastes

But if you like J-pop anyways, Cosmic Princess Kaguya features all the teen angst needed to reimagine the classic tale for a cyber-generation.

Cosmic Princess KaguyaNetflix

In a not too distant future, there’s a musical avatar known as Cosmic Princess Kaguya who wants freedom from where she came from. This digital figure isn’t just data. Instead, this individual is sentient, and bears no semblance to the figure and version of the story I loved more. Studio Ghibli holds all the cards here, and tried as I did to watch this lengthy film written by Saeri Natsuo and directed by Shingo Yamashita, the vibe leans more on being hyperactive.

Here, shades of Cyberpunk: Edgerunner exists when Iroha (Anna Nagase) finds a program she wasn’t meant to discover. Enter Kaguya (Yuko Natsuyoshi), a program developed to monitor the Lunar base’s oxygen and power grids. After The Lunar Corporate Council realizes this code is missing, they’re out to get her back, and in the meantime, Kags hopes to find a body she can inhabit so she can be free.

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Stranger Things. The Full Series in Review

After a long rewatch of Stranger Things, I look at what worked and what did not when creating the threat that would manifest in the small town of Hawkins. Thankfully, for those in the know, no foothold was made, but is this truly the end?

Stranger Things LogoWhen Stranger Things first arrived on Netflix, it began with something wonderfully small. It seemed to be simply about a group of kids playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons, and not expecting that world to manifest around them! After the sudden absence of Will (Noah Schnapp), they had to learn how to become heroes for real. Even though the adults didn’t believe what they’ve encountered is real, what they managed to do was the impossible: to show that dangers lurk in every corner. The shadows are alive, and the necrophagous shadows, well….

From that moment, the series evolved naturally from childhood rituals into becoming adults. As for the fantasy characters they wanted to become, all the visual motifs (including a garbage can lid modified to become a shield) came into place. And the monsters they had to face weren’t just creatures. They were metaphors to something greater shaped by the kids’ references to concepts and entities from this role playing world. Some worked, and others did not, but overall, unless the viewer was in the know, the tie-ins were more than surface level references.

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Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein: The Fears Man Still Dreams Of

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is visually stunning, emotionally rich, and anchored by Oscar Isaac’s haunted performance—but is that enough when it’s no longer a Byron/Shelly style tale?

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein posterNow playing on Netflix

Just how good Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is depends on how much of Mary Shelley’s novel this auteur chooses to bring to life on screen. It’s safe to say he’s rearranged a fair bit. Some changes strengthen the story, drawing out its emotional and thematic cues, while others never quite take shape.

Heinrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), the mysterious benefactor who bankrolls Victor’s (Oscar Isaac) experiments, is a notable addition. He isn’t in the novel, and his motives feel not all that fleshed out—yes, the pun’s intentional. His inclusion explains how Victor funds his unholy pursuits and builds The Creature (Jacob Elordi) after being blackballed by his peers for daring to defy death. When this financier’s true identity as an arms dealer and seeker of immortality is revealed, the moment ends before it begins. The hint of Orwellian horror lingers but is never explored, leaving an intriguing idea unfinished.

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The Secret Storylines K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 Needs

It’s official: K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 is happening, but fans may wait years. If the sequel leans into folklore, side stories and stronger character arcs, it could become a rare animated follow-up that truly matures with its audience.

K-Pop Demon Hunters movie posterIt’s official—K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 is a go. Fans, however, will have to wait perhaps four years before it arrives. That’s a tough pill to swallow for anyone hoping to see Rumi, Mira, Su-Min, and the rest of the team back in action. What made the debut spectacular was its blend of folklore and modern Korean pop culture—especially Rumi’s reluctant connection to the demon world, which now puts her at a crossroads between fame, duty, and peace.

Although the wait will be long, hopefully it’ll all be worth it. Fans have expectations—especially in seeing what’s next for the lead, and whether her demon boyfriend will come back. That forbidden attraction is what drew me into the tale. The trope is a variation on the Legend of the White Snake, a classic story where a goddess falls for a mortal man. Here, the roles are reversed, giving the story a fresh emotional dynamic. The beliefs about what happens to the soul are also distinct from other cultural takes, which makes this story feel uniquely Korean.

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